Cement manufacture



May 14, 1963 w. OSTBERG CEMENT MANUFACTURE Filed March 6, 1961 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 TO STORAGE INVEN TOR. WERNER OSTBERG 5B GMM 5 cm ATTORNEYS May 14, 1963 w. OSTBERG CEMENT MANUFACTURE 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 6, 1961 INVENTOR.

WERNER v OSTBERG BY mg m ATTORNEYS May 14, 1963 w. OSTBERG CEMENT MANUFACTURE 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed March 6, 1961 INVENTOR. WERNER OSTBERG ORNEYS May 14, 1963 Filed March 6, 1961 W. OSTBERG CEMENT MANUFACTURE 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 I as L 'Z j INVENTOR.

WERNER OSTBERG BY ATTORNEYS 3,089,688 CEMENT MANUFACTURE Werner Ostberg, Milan, Mich., assignor to Dundee Cement Company, Dundee, Mich. Filed Mar. 6, 1961, Ser. No. 93,762 6 Claims. (Cl. 263-32) In the manufacture of cement, a slurry or liquid mixture of limestone and clay is heated or calcinated and burned in a slightly inclined kiln to produce kiln discharge of high temperature, around 2700 F. In the trade such discharge is generally called clinker, but in this application, it will be referred to as kiln discharge.

It is known to drop hot kiln discharge into the input end of a horizontal cooler of conventional design having a long and wide horizontal conveyor grate with air under presure and in great volume being blown into the cooler, from which the discharge is moved by a conveyor to a storage pile, with such material ultimately being further processed to make cement. It is also known to provide at the discharge end of the cooler a mill for crushing coarse discharge.

Ultimately, the kiln discharge which drops from the kiln into the cooler cools and is moved away from the discharge end of the kiln to a storage pile for use in further processing to make cement.

For purposes of illustration only, we have shown here, a basic type cooler to which the improvements of this application relate, a cooler well known to and identified in the trade as a Fuller horizontal air quencher cooler of standard design.

It has been discovered that hot kiln discharge dropping into the cooler tends to combine and aggregate into large undesirable masses which interfere with the operation of the cooler. To overcome these difiiculties, it has been the practice in the past for workmen standing at an open side door of the cooler and handling long heavy pokers to jab into the masses when so formed and to attempt to break them up in the cooler. This practice is not only wasteful of manpower, but is also ineflicient for many reasons, one being that the attempt to break up already formed undesirable large masses necessarily results in an incomplete and by no means thorough reduction of such built up masses into pieces suitable for movement in the cooler and to the mills which ultimately are intended to deliver from the cooler to the storage pile, discharge of desirably small size.

In this application, there is disclosed a novel process for handling kiln discharge into and out of a cooler and on its way from the kiln to the storage pile, characterized by the fact that the process includes the step of preventing the kiln discharge, which is at 2700 F. or so and which has a tendency to combine and aggregate into large undesirable masses, from so combining and aggregating. By preventing the masses from so forming, a greater degree of continuity is obtained. In addition, because automatic and continuously operating means within the cooler are used to prevent such masses from forming, the necessity for employing workmen outside the cooler to poke and jab at already formed masses through an open side door is eliminated with consequent substantial savings in manpower, etc.

The invention contemplates the provision of means for preventing such masses from forming at the discharge end of the kiln, i.e., at the input end of the cooler.

Generally such means includes a refractory inclined shelf onto which is deposited the hot kiln discharge, with such shelf having a large number of vertical slots opening to its face and thus providing ducts or passages for cooling air from behind the shelf through the shelf and through the kiln discharge deposited thereon and moving 3,089,688 Patented May 14, 1963 therefrom further into the cooling chamber above the cooling grates.

The invention further contemplates providing in such slots metal liners for the walls'of such slots and for bounding at such slots the refractory or fire bricks forming such shelf, with such metal liners being cooled by the movement of cooling air through the shelf and the discharge thereon.

The invention further contemplates providing in such metal lined slots metal slicing blades which move generally horizontally through the generally vertical slots in the inclined shelf with such blades moving away from the shelf through the discharge thereon and towards the discharge end of the cooling conveyor and with such blades being cooled by the movement of cooling air through the slots containing such blades, with such blades functioning to slice through and form slicing cuts in the discharge on the shelf, through which cuts cooling air from behind the shelf passes to the cooling chamber.

The foregoing represents one aspect of the invention, namely that aspect which deals with the input end of the cooler at the discharge end of the kiln. A second aspect of the invention deals with the provision of generally similar means and arrangements at the cool or discharge end of the cooler where such cooler discharges to a crushing mill whose discharge is conveyed ultimately to the storage pile. The latter aspect of the invention will now briefly be described.

The specific problem here is to prevent coarse discharge or lumps which have found their way to the cool end of the cooler from clogging the mill into which such cooler discharges and thus seriously impeding effective operation. The means here comprises a grating made up of a large number of vertical plates whose edges form an inclined shelf, these plates being of thick durable metal and separated to provide vertical slots communicating the.

chamber below the grate with the inclined shelf formed by the edges of these plates which leads to the mill below the horizontal inclined shelf formed by suchedges. Within the slots and between the plates are slicing blades withmove generally horizontally in such slots for pushing and forcing oversize discharge on the grating into the mill.

A third aspect of the present invention is the combination in a single cooler of the two slicing means above described, one at the discharge end of the kiln which is the input end of the cooler and the other at the discharge end of the cooler where the kiln discharge hascooled its kiln discharge temperature of about 2700* F. down to around F. or so, these temperatures, of course, being merely exemplary and not critical.

Still further aspects of the present invention, by no means a comprehensive list, relate to the combining of the mechanisms for moving either or both of the slicing blade groups, preferably employing mechanical connections between either or both of the slicing blades and the means for moving the grates of the cooler, with such mechanism being so constructed preferably that the same mechanical means which is provided for moving the grate likewise is utilized for generally horizontally moving either or both of the groups of slicing blades provided at the opposite ends of the grate cooler.

Still further objects of the present invention will best be understood upon reading the appended detailed description of a preferred embodiment shown in the attached drawings.

In these drawings:

FIG. 1 is a schematic longitudinal view of a grate cooler equipped with two slicing blade groups of the. invention.

FIG. 2 shows parts at the kiln discharge end of the cooler, its input end.

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary view of such parts.

PEG. 4 is a longitudinal section view of such parts.

FIG. 5 shows parts at the cooler discharge end of the cooler.

FIG. 6 is a side view of such parts.

FIG. 7 is a section view on line 7-7 of FIG. 6.

The Conventional Grate Cooler The conventional grate cooler 34, as shown in FIG. 1, comprises essentially a tunnel type housing having a top wall 36, side walls 38, and a long and wide grate 40 made up of overlapping perforated plates 41, alternate ones of which are moved horizontally for proper cooling action and for moving kiln discharge from a kiln discharge hopper 42 at the discharge end of a kiln 43 to a crushing mill 44. Below the grate is a pressure compartment 46 through which air under pressure is blown so that cooling air blows upwardly through the grate 4t and cools the kiln discharge which moves to mill 44 and then onto a conveyor 48 below the crushing mill 44 which conveyor ultimately moves cooled kiln discharge towards the storage pile.

The Kiln Discharge End of the Grate Cooler Having described the conventional grate cooler, we now turn to that aspect of the invention which deals with the kiln discharge end of the grate cooler, the left end shown in FIG. 1. Here is provided a horizontal inclined refractory shelf 60 made of fire brick positioned to receive discharge from kiln 43 so that kiln discharge drops onto such shelf and ultimately drops onto the grate cooler 40.

For preventing the kiln discharge which has a normal tendency to combine and aggregate into large undesirable masses, from so doing, there is provided in the shelf 60 a large number of slots 62 (FIGS. 24) lines with durable metal liners 64 and containing large durable metal plates or blades 66 which move generally horizontally edgewise through such slots, advancing away from the shelf 60 and retreating back into such shelf, with the total travel of the blades in unison being about four inches.

Cooling air blowing through such shelf from behind it passes through such slots for several purposes including cooling the metal liners 64, cooling the slicing blades 66, cooling the discharge on the shelf by passing through the slicing cuts formed in such discharge by the slicing movement of the blades.

Means comprising a motor drive M and an oscillating frame having vertical members 68 are provided for continuously moving the grate plates 41 and as well the blades 66 horizontally in their advance and retraction movements and with such blades so moving continuously and cyclically the slicing action of such blades in automatic and likewise automatically prevents the hot kiln discharge, dropping out of the kiln at 2700 F. or so and reaching the shelf at about 2000 F. or so, from combining and aggregating in their normal tendency into large undesirable masses.

Large volumes of cooling air are blown in a variety of directions and turbulently in the cooling chambers above and below and through the cooling grate 4i and the shelf 69. Such air movement is caused by conventional 'fans 69 in pressure chambers below the cooling grate and also fans 70 above grate 40. Since such are well-known to those skilled in the art, no special showing of such fans will here be made.

It will also be understood that the grate cooler is completely enclosed and forms a large housing or tunnel through which the kiln discharge moves on grate 40 to conveyor 48 with such housing being suitably refractory lined, and such housing containing the necessary equipment herein shown, including the necessary mechanism, fans, etc., all of which is known to the trade.

Vertical members 68 comprises one arrangement for connecting the slicing blades 66 to the same mechanism (M-67) that moves the grate 40 horizontally whereby the same mechanism already existing in coolers of the type here shown is used not only for moving the grate, but also for moving the slicing blades horizontally in the shelf, and particularly in the slots 62 of such shelf.

The Output End of the Grate Cooler At the output end of the grate cooler where the kiln discharge has been cooled down to around F. or so, and where there is conventionally located a crushing mill 44, there is provided the means comprising the second aspect of the present invention.

Here, in FIGS. 1, 5, 6 and 7, is disclosed a grating formed of metal plates 82 standing on edge and separated by slots 84 with the plates being so formed that together they provide a horizontal inclined shelf 86 or grating onto which cooler discharge is deposited by the cooler grate 40 and from which cooler discharge moves to the crushing mill 44.

For agitating the cooler discharge on such shelf, and for breaking up lumps or coarses which find their way to shelf 86, and for agitating such coarses as they approach mill 44, there are provided in the slots 84 slicing blades 88 which advance and retreat generally horizontally through the slots 84 more or less in the fashion already described for the action of the slicing blade 66 at the kiln discharge end of the cooler.

Bars 39 form means for connecting the blades 86 to the already provided means (M-67) for moving the grate 40 whereby the same mechanism that moves the grate 49 also moves the slicing blades 88 in the same way that the same mechanism moves the slicing blades 66 at the kiln discharge end of the cooler.

Plain arrows A indicate air movements.

Tailed arrows D indicate kiln discharge movement.

Now having described the embodiment here shown, reference is had to the claims which follow.

I claim:

1. In a process for cooling hot kiln discharge including depositing the hot discharge from the discharge end of the kiln upon a movable grate type conveyor having movable grates and then conveying the discharge from the kiln upon the conveyor and cooling it as it is conveyed until it is substantially cooled, the improvement comprising essentially the steps of first dropping all the hot kiln discharge directly from the kiln discharge end upon a downwardly sloped shelf located above the conveyor and below the kiln before placing the kiln discharge upon the conveyor, to form a coating of hot discharge upon the shelf, next, slicing the coating on the shelf by means of regularly applied strokes in vertical planes, simultaneously applied at closely horizontally spaced apart locations along the coating, extending the strokes substantially along the full inclined length of the coating beginning from the surface of the shelf in a substantially horizontal direction towards the direction of the conveyor a sufficient distance to slice the coating and move fragments downwardly upon the conveyor, and applying the strokes in synchronism with the movement of the movable grates of the conveyor.

2. In an apparatus for cooling hot kiln discharge, ineluding a kiln having a discharge end from which the discharge is dropped, and a conveyor means located beneath but horizontally spaced a short distance from said discharge end to receive the hot discharge and carry it away from the kiln and simultaneously cool it, the improvement comprising a single, heat resistant, inclined wide shelf covering the horizontal space between the kiln discharge end and the conveyor and located directly beneath the discharge end of the kiln and above the conveyor and arranged so that the hot kiln discharge drops down upon the shelf first, before passing on upon the conveyor; said shelf having its upper surface formed as a flat, inclined shelf surface upon which the discharge lands and which slopes downwardly to the conveyor for movement of the kiln discharge down the shelf surface and then upon the conveyor; a plurality of substantially regularly spaced apart, parallel, elongated slots formed in the shelf, the slots each extending from close to the upper edge of the shelf to close to the lower edge thereof; a vertically arranged slicing blade closely fitted into and substantially filling each slot and extending substantially the full length thereof and having an upper, sloping slicing edge arranged parallel to the shelf inclined upper surface, the slicing edges blocking the kiln discharge from passing through the shelf slots; means for regularly reciprocating all of the slicing blades simultaneously in a substantially horizontal direction from a location in the plane of the shelf surface to a distance forwardly thereof, that is, towards the conveyor; whereby the blades regularly slice and lift the coating of kiln discharge dropped upon the shelf surface towards the conveyor for moving the sliced discharge down the shelf surface and upon the conveyor.

3. A construction as defined in claim 2 and said conveyor being in the form of a movable grate conveyor having movable grates and grate moving means for reciprocally moving the grates towards and away from the discharge end of the kiln, said blades being connected to said grate moving means for synchronizing the speed, amplitude and direction of movement of the blades with that of the grates.

4. A process as defined in claim 1 and including continuously blowing cool air beneath the coating, that is, at the face of the coating in contact with the shelf, at the locations of and along the full lengths of the strokes.

5. A construction as defined in claim 2 and including means for continuously blowing cool air upwardly from a source beneath the shelf through each of the slots between the blade thereof and the edges defining the slot to the upper surface of the shelf and beneath the coating thereon.

6. A construction as defined in claim 2 and said shelf being formed of heat resistent fire brick, with the edges defining the slots therein being lined by metal strips, the blade being closely spaced to the metal strips of its respective liner, but with suflicient space therebetween for the passage of cooling air upwardly through the shelf slots around the respective blades.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,137,158 Douglass Nov. 15, 1938 2,609,149 Posselt Sept. 2, 1952 2,831,270 Hartwig Apr. 22, 1958 2,861,356 Lellep Nov. 25. 1958 

1. IN A PROCESS FOR COOLING HOT KILN DISCHARGE INCLUDING DEPOSITION THE HOT DISCHARGE FROM THE DISCHARGE END OF THE KILN UPON A MOVABLE GRATE TYPE CONVEYOR HAVING MOVABLE GRATES AND THEN CONVEYING THE DISCHARGE FROM THE KILN UPON THE CONVEYOR AND COOLING IT AS IT IS CONVEYED UNTIL IT IS SUBSTANTIALLY COOLED, THE IMPROVEMENT COMPRISING ESSENTIALLY THE STEPS OF FIRST DROPPING ALL THE HOT KILN DISCHARGE DIRECTLY FROM THE KILN DISCHARGE END UPON A DOWNWARDLY SLOPED SHELF LOCATED ABOVE THE CONVEYOR AND BELOW THE KILN BEFORE PLACING THE KILN DISCHARGE UPON THE CONVEYOR, TO FORM A COATING OF HOT DISCHARGE UPON THE SHELF, NEXT, SLICING THE COATING ON THE SHELF BY MEANS OF REGULARLY APPLIED STROKES IN VERTICAL PLANES, SIMULTANEOUSLY APPLIED AT CLOSELY HORIZONTALLY SPACED APART LOCATIONS ALONG THE COATING, EXTENDING THE STROKES SUBSTANTIALLY ALONG THE FULL INCLINED LENGTH OF THE COATING BEGINNING FROM THE SURFACE OF THE SHELF IN A SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTAL DIRECTION TOWARDS THE DIRECTION OF THE COVEYOR A SUFFICIENT DISTANCE TO SLICE THE COATING AND MOVE FRAGMENTS DOWNWARDLY UPON THE CONVEYOR, AND APPLYING THE STROKES IN SYNCHRONISM WITH THE MOVEMENT OF THE MOVABLE GRATES OF THE COVEYOR. 